Community Calendar

DivorceCare, a special help seminar and support group for people experiencing divorce and separation, will be held on Monday evenings at the East Hill church of Christ beginning on January 7th from 6:30-8. through April[...]

The plenary session will also hold a panel discussion on precision biotechnology in agriculture and the role of regulations. The session, titled “Evolving Regulatory Landscape and Adoption of Precision Biotechnology Crop and Livestock Innovations,” will bring together industry leaders to discuss various aspects of this timely topic. The prominent group includes:

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts

Barbara Glenn, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA)

“USDA is committed to supporting technology and innovations that benefit U.S. farmers,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “The forum offers a unique platform to discuss these issues and why they matter to the agricultural sector, industry leaders, government officials, and producers.”

Along with the plenary presentations, attendees can choose from 30 sessions with more than 90 speakers and a host of agriculture-related exhibits. Among the concurrent track sessions and topics supporting this year’s theme are: global trade trends, innovations in agriculture, developments in animal and crop biotechnology, frontiers in conservation, and outlooks for food and commodity markets.

Early arrivals may take part in two pre-forum field trips: a farm conservation tour of a working family farm in Maryland or a tour of USDA’s Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Md. The nominal fee includes transportation and a boxed lunch.

Now in its 95th year, the Agricultural Outlook Forum is USDA’s largest annual meeting, attracting as many as 2,000 attendees from the U.S. and abroad. The forum highlights key issues and timely topics affecting the agriculture sector, offering a platform for exchanging information and ideas among producers, processors, policymakers, government officials, and non-governmental organizations, both foreign and domestic.